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UFC Live on Versus 4: 5 Things to Zoom in on When Watching the Fights

I’ll say it once again: you gotta love the UFC and the way they give fans free fights. This Sunday, UFC on Versus 4 goes down and features a solid card of fighters going at it with heavy implications all around. The importance of fights for guys like T…

The importance of fights for guys like Tyson Griffin, who is making his featherweight debut vs. Manny Gamburyan cannot be understated. How about strikers Cheick Kongo and Pat Barry—will they deliver a slobber knocker of a knockout that the fans so expected out of Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin?

There are some intriguing fights on this card in every division, and I look forward to seeing the strategic, game-within-the-game moments of all of these match-ups. What detail will lead to one fighter’s victory vs. one fighter’s fall? Let’s take a look and zoom in on five things to look for in the fights this weekend.

5. Will the real Joe Lauzon re-emerge and dominate a lesser opponent?

Look closely on Sunday night to see if we will get a tentative, cautious fighter in Joe Lauzon, or if we get the pressing, blitzing, dominant Joe that we have been blessed to witness at times in his career. It has been an up and down couple of years for Lauzon, and he needs to get back on track with a win worthy of some noise for J-Lau.

In my opinion, Curt Warburton is outmatched in this fight both in skill and experience, but Joe has got to fight desperate, and show a renewed pension for unleashing hell when he gets in that cage.

4. Does Size Matter For Tyson Griffin?

Tyson Griffin shot on to the mixed martial arts scene as a lightweight with incredible cardio and dexterity, blasting through his first few fights early in his UFC career. Then he started to come up against some of the big boys of the division and it soon became apparent that he was going to forever struggle to hold off the elite guys at the 155 pound range.

Sunday night he moves down to 145 pounds, and he gets a rude welcome with top contender Manny Gamburyan. Watch closely in this fight to see if Griffin can impose his will on Manny, who is one of the strongest men in the division. I look for this fight to be in close quarters and hopefully Griffin can re-emerge a contender after the fight.

3. Who has the better striking, Mitrione or Morecraft?

I look for this fight to settle two scores where these two fighters are concerned on Sunday. The first score to settle is for these two to start this fight in stand-and-bang mode and see who has the better, more technical and powerful striking. Both of these guys like to cut it up and be funny characters at times and they have both gained a following doing so.

Settling the striking score will certainly settle the second score for me, as I want to see which one of these two boisterous heavyweights is ready for a large step up the next time they step in the cage.

2. Is It Near The End For Cheick Kongo?

I used to get frustrated with Cheick Kongo’s repeated failure to develop a ground game, it seemed such a waste for such a talented, sculpted fighter to get beaten so easily in one aspect of the game. Recently, I have been more frustrated with a certain lack of fire and heart in Kongo’s game. Although his losses have come to legitimate guys in the division, I am always left wanting more from him when the key moment of the fight arrives.

Pat Barry will stand in your face, fire shots and test your will to be there. If Kongo can stand and trade and not flinch an inch against Barry, it will go a long way in telling us all if we should consider Kongo a relevant enough fighter to continue to get interesting fights. He may try to shoot and submit, which is fine and may be smart, but if he retreats and starts to dance, will will know right away, he is fighter looking to survive instead of thrive and I wish him well in the future.

1. Will Nate Marquardt be technical and powerful enough to stop Rick Story?

As he was getting ready for Thiago Alves a month ago, I heard Rick Story say that he was going to come in come hard and come often, and that he did, to my surprise, against Alves, stealing the win in the process. Thiago Alves’ bread and butter was powerful Muay Thai striking, and Story bulldozed straight in through it with good set ups and brute timing.

Marquardt is coming down from 185 pounds and is banking on the fact that his size and power shots will be enough to deter and ultimately stop the train that has become Rick Story. I personally feel like Nate is a bit more technically sound in his approach than Thiago, so he will land punches. Will his punches be powerful enough at 170 pounds to get the job done and stop Story in his tracks? I am saying yes, and Nate will score a decisive win that sees a bloody Story at the end

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Feature Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA.

Catch him on Twitter @wakafightermma .

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Official B/R MMA Rankings June 2011: Top 10 Welterweights in MMA

Some of Bleacher Report’s best MMA writers have come together to give their opinions on who is the best-of-the-best in June. Each respective division voted on by these writers. Going along with Bleacher Report’s continuing efforts to provide our…

Some of Bleacher Report’s best MMA writers have come together to give their opinions on who is the best-of-the-best in June. Each respective division voted on by these writers.

Going along with Bleacher Report’s continuing efforts to provide our readers with the most unique content, we are also taking strides to compile consensus MMA rankings for each weight class.

Its been a tough month for some of these fighters since the last time we did the rankings in mid-May. UFC 130, 131, Strikeforce Overeem vs. Werdum and even The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale have helped shape the rankings voted on by the writers of Bleacher Report MMA.

So here you are, the reader, the Mid-June 2011 Bleacher Report official rankings as voted by our panel of writers from the MMA section.

Special thanks to those who contributed:

Nick Caron
Jason Schielke
Vince Carey
Sean Smith
Dwight Wakabayashi
John Heinis
Sal DeRose

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Top 5 Fighters in MMA Who Need a Finish

In MMA, decision wins are common, but most fighters do try to avoid them. UFC President Dana White tells the fighters and up-and-comers to not leave it to the judges. The judges have notoriously made unpleasant calls and to many, have robbed some fight…

Of course sometimes the opportunity to grasp a finish does not always present itself, but for whatever reason these men haven’t finished a fight recently, a finish would help them more than other fighters.

This showcase of five fighters (all UFC) are the ones that desperately need a finish. Whatever way they want to, they need to do it before the last round ends. Whether it be for career integrity, media pleasing, to remain relevant in the MMA world or to grow their fanbase, these fighters are in a race to finish.

This is, of course, not a compete list, nor is it indicating these five are worse fighters than others!

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UFC on Versus 4: 7 Reasons You Must Watch This Event

The UFC’s fourth event on the Versus network—aptly called UFC on Versus 4 by fans or “UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story” by the UFC—is set to take place this Sunday, June 26, 2011.Many may scoff at the free cards and think they are low quality …

The UFC’s fourth event on the Versus network—aptly called UFC on Versus 4 by fans or “UFC Live: Marquardt vs. Story” by the UFC—is set to take place this Sunday, June 26, 2011.

Many may scoff at the free cards and think they are low quality or otherwise not worth watching—especially on a Sunday night when people have to be up for work early the next morning!

However, staying up a little bit later for this card will be totally worth it. Here are the seven reasons why you must stay up to catch this event.

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25 Fighters Who Will Likely Never Wear UFC Gold Before Retiring

They say that second place is the first loser.However, there is some twisted logic contained within the expression. If you’ve ever had the honor of fighting for a UFC title, it’s unlikely you’d trade that in for mediocrity despite walking…

They say that second place is the first loser.

However, there is some twisted logic contained within the expression. If you’ve ever had the honor of fighting for a UFC title, it’s unlikely you’d trade that in for mediocrity despite walking away empty-handed.

Think of Kenny Florian, who will likely be fighting in his third title fight later this year, when he challenges Jose Aldo for the featherweight strap. Will another expression hold up in “the third time is the charm”?

Beyond fighters who have already challenged for a UFC title and came up short, there are fighters who were champions with other organizations, but that success failed to translate inside the Octagon. Lastly, fighters who have never competed for a title—and despite how good they are—will likely never challenge for a title for various reasons.

With Zuffa Inc. (parent company of the UFC) purchasing Strikeforce, relevant fighters from that organization who could eventually find their way over to the UFC will be included. While this list may seem unbecoming on the surface, think of it as deference to the best fighters that simply fell shy of a success that so few get to revel in. While some on the list may be obvious, it is always good to be comprehensive.

With all that said, let’s get to it.

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Rampage Jackson and the 15 Funniest Stars in MMA History (with Video)

MMA is a serious sport. It requires more discipline and respect than any other sport. Some have reached the pinnacle of the sport while others have perished on the undercards. OK, too much drama. MMA is a fairly young sport. Around 20 ye…

MMA is a serious sport. It requires more discipline and respect than any other sport. Some have reached the pinnacle of the sport while others have perished on the undercards.

OK, too much drama.

MMA is a fairly young sport. Around 20 years ago, several promotions formed—most notably Pancrase, Pride and of course the UFC. In these promotions, stars were produced who have gone on to become legends and idols to legions of adoring fans.

However, only a few fighters possessed the ability of being exceptional showmen and entertainers. Stars like Rampage Jackson possessed the ability to make people laugh, and in a sport that is as serious as MMA, that is an important quality to have.

So sit back and take a look at the lighter side of MMA as I present to you the funniest stars in the MMA world.

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